MOODY'S RATES AMERIQUEST'S 2003-6 SECURITIZATION OF SUBPRIME MORTGAGES Aaa
$1.6 Billion of Asset-Backed Securities Rated.
New York, July 14, 2003 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a rating of Aaa to the Class AV-1,
AV-2, AV-3, AF-1, AF-2,
AF-3, AF-4 and Class S certificates in Ameriquest's
Series 2003-6 securitization of subprime fixed- and adjustable-rate
mortgages. In addition, Moody's has assigned ratings ranging
from Aa2 to Baa3 to the mezzanine and subordinated classes of certificates
issued in the transaction. Moody's said that the ratings are based
primarily on the quality of the loans, which are 65% adjustable-rate
mortgages (ARMs), subordination, overcollateralization,
and excess spread. Overall, the credit quality of the loan
pool in the transaction is similar to that of the average pool backing
recent subprime securitizations.
Nicolas Vassalli, a Moody's analyst, said that the loans backing
the certificates were originated entirely through Ameriquest's retail
channel. The credit quality of the ARM borrowers is about average.
The weighted-average LTV for the ARM loans is about 80, with
55% of the mortgages having an LTV greater than 80%,
which is slightly weaker than average. The weighted-average
FICO score of 600 for the ARM pool is about average. About 53%
of the ARM borrowers have a FICO score below 600. Usually about
55% of borrowers in ARM pools have below-600 FICO scores.
The credit quality of the fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) pool is stronger
than an average quality subprime FRM pool. Although the LTV distribution
is somewhat weaker than average, the pool benefits from a strong
borrower quality and there are no second-lien mortgages included
in the pool. The weighted-average LTV for the FRM pool is
79%, with 54% of the mortgages having an LTV greater
than 80% and 5.9% above 90% LTV. For
FRM subprime pools generally, the weighted-average LTV is
about 76%, with only about 35% of the loans having
LTVs above 80%.
These higher LTV ratios are largely a result of improved borrower quality
in the pool as the maximum LTV ratio allowed typically increases as the
borrower's creditworthiness improves. The weighted-average
FICO score for the FRM pool is 678, with only 10% of the
borrowers having FICO scores below 600. This is better than average.
Ameriquest Mortgage Company is a specialty finance company engaged in
originating, purchasing and selling sub-prime mortgage loans.
Ameriquest originates loans through more than 200 retail outlets,
primarily through telemarketing and direct mailing efforts, and
deals with more than 3000 approved brokers. Ameriquest, a
capable servicer of subprime mortgage loans, will act as servicer
for the loans in this transaction.
The complete rating actions are as follows:
Issuer: Ameriquest Mortgage Securities Inc.
Securities: Asset-Backed Pass-Through Certificates,
Series 2003-6
Originator and Master Servicer: Ameriquest Mortgage Company
$650,022,000, variable rate, Class AV-1,
rated Aaa
$261,606,000, variable rate, Class AV-2,
rated Aaa
$86,8997,000, variable rate, Class AV-3,
rated Aaa
$108,867,000, 1.862%, Class
AF-1, rated Aaa
$77,142,000, 2.470%, Class
AF-2, rated Aaa
$93,960,000, 4.258%, Class
AF-3, rated Aaa
$49,406,000, 4.329%, Class
AF-4, rated Aaa
Notional Balance, variable rate, Class S, rated Aaa
$88,000,000, variable rate, Class M-1,
rated Aa2
$72,000,000, variable rate, Class M-2,
rated A2
$24,000,000, variable rate, Class M-3,
rated A3
$24,000,000, variable rate, Class M-4,
rated Baa1
$20,000,000, variable rate, Class M-5,
rated Baa2
$20,000,000, variable rate, Class M-6,
rated Baa3
Additional information, including a New Issue Report, will
be available on http://www.moodys.com.
New York
Pramila Gupta
Managing Director
Structured Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
New York
Nicolas P. Vassalli
Associate Analyst
Structured Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653